


Learning Herbs with Gary

by TheFlashpoint



Series: Legends Shorts [2]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Demon!Gary AU, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gary is teaching John about herbs and John is bein rude about it, Herbology, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 12:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17560667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFlashpoint/pseuds/TheFlashpoint
Summary: In which Gary teaches John about plants and is a bit worried about John's lack of knowledge on said plants.





	Learning Herbs with Gary

“John? Could you hand me the rosemary next to you?” Gary asked, working with mixing other various herbs as he stuck out his hand to the other, expecting to be handed the correct plant.    
  
John grumbled something under his breath as he tried to figure out which was which. Half these damn plants looked the same after all and Gary hadn’t ever been very clear which he was talking about. After a few beats of quick thinking, he swiped the plant that looked most like a rosemary and handed it over.   
  
It was obvious he was wrong by the look on Gary’s face.    
  
“You really aren’t that great at herbs...are you?” Gary asked, looking up from his little bowl just in time to catch John’s expression of frustration.   
  
“I have knowledge on them!” He contradicted, “Just...maybe not as much as you.”   
  
“I asked you to hand me rosemary.” Gary stated. John waited a few seconds before sighing heavily in defeat.   
  
“Yes, and?”   
  
“John this is thyme, not rosemary. We’re trying to get  _ rid _ of a demon, not make them stronger and give them courage.” the other chuckled lightly, “I’d have thought you’d known at least the basic knowledge of thyme. Like, I don't know, what it looks like.”   
  
“Well I thought thyme also got rid of spirits, didn’t know about the courage thing.”   
  
“I’m just joking John calm down. No need to get so flustered.” Gary carefully placed the small plant back upon the table, reaching over to grab the correct plant he’d asked for. “It does get rid of demons, but not in the way we need it to. Its to clear spirits and cleanse a home of wicked spells.” He paused, looking to John once more with a playful grin, “It also gives people courage and makes them stronger. Considering our demon doesn't have anything to do with that-”    
  
“You know what Gary?  _ Some of us _ weren’t raised with centuries of this kinda knowledge like you were!” the warlock threw his arms in the air with exaggeration, only making Gary burst out in laughter at how childish he was acting about plants of all things.   
  
“Well I’d expect an  _ all knowing warlock _ to know the basics.” Gary pushed his bowl of crushed plants away finally, lifting the thyme he’d tossed back earlier for John to see better, “Thyme has thicker leaves and doesn’t usually smell to strong, it’s also greener. Rosemary has thin, almost dry leaves that are a very dull green and can easily poke at you. While thyme will get rid of a spirit from  _ a home _ , rosemary can be made into incense and burned to rid of hostile spirits in general. Rosemary also has a very specific smell to it.”   
  
John scrunched his nose to how bitter the brittle plant smelt when Gary offered it to him. Why would people ever want to burn such a thing that smelled like that?    
  
“Do we have anything that could maybe get rid of the demon faster? Maybe something that doesn’t smell so bad?” he’d asked, shoving the plant away from his face.   
  
“Well sure! If you want to wait a night for apple or wine vinegar to evaporate, but then that would give it enough time to do some amount of damage to these people and I don’t think we have enough of that to just put a bowl in each person’s home.”    
  
“...Are you being salty with me?” John snorted, causing Gary to laugh harder than he had been earlier. There was an upside to this whole herb learning business and it was seeing Gary so happy about being able to do something he was actually good at.    
  
Maybe John was mad at Gary for never telling him about being the one and only Prince Stolas, the demon of the day himself, but after spending the long hours of the night that crept into the morning with him, it was hard to stay mad. Gary clearly never meant any harm and was only trying to make a better life for himself, John could sort of understand it. It wasn’t fair to be mad at him for doing nothing other than keeping who he was a secret out of fear.   
  
“So, just how much do you know about all these herbs then?” He inquired as Gary finally caught his breath.   
  
“Well I know which ones harm demons and which help people. Some are really toxic to people though and sometimes I wonder why they even bother using them.”   
  
“Herbs...can help people?” Gary looked almost concerned at the question, it was John’s turn to laugh as he lightly patted him on the shoulder. “I’m kidding love, I’m kidding.”   
  
“Thank goodness, I was worried there for a second. But uh..yeah, herbs can help people. If you place plantain under your pillow, some say that it’ll drive away nightmares and evil spirits.”   
  
“Plantain...wait...like a banana? Now that just sounds like a load of bullshit to me.” John couldn’t even imagine trying to sleep with something like that under his own pillow, let alone anyone else trying that without some sort of neck problem in the morning.   
  
“Okay, yes, it sounds stupid, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Though to be fair I was never entirely sure if that one was true or not. Still not sure about it.” Gary turned back to his small bowl of crushed herbs, looking for a few oils he might have had to make the mixture a bit stronger. “Sometimes things like these oils can help you too if you make them out of the right herbs. Oil of Abramelin helps protect you from physical demon attacks as long as you circle some around yourself. Not exactly the strongest thing in the world, but very helpful.”   
  
“I actually did know that one.” John quickly stated in hopes that it would make the demon prince proud of him, “I just often forget to keep some on me in case I need it.”    
  
“Well it's very easy to make. Its equal parts cinnamon, myrrh and galangal. I’ll have to show you how to put it together some time.” the time agent sheepishly looked to John, “Because lord knows you can’t do that on your own.”   
  
John gasped in mock offence as the two of them giggled like a pair of teens attempting something illegal in the dead of night. They bantered on about herbs for some time, nearly forgetting to get any sleep at all before having to go out on the mission they had that afternoon. It was John who’d fallen asleep first, leaning over on the table with his head in his arms as he softly snored in peace. Gary swore it was the first time he ever saw John so calm before, and assumed that it was a few of the herbs working their magic on making sure he really was okay for the night.    
  
Gary himself stayed up and finished his mixture for Sara, though had anyone paid any attention, they could easily say he was often distracted by John and could have been caught more than once just watching the warlock quietly sleep and asking himself how he even managed to fall in love with the one person he’d been so afraid of the second they'd met.   
  
John woke later that afternoon, a note and a small black and white stone left beside him. Tiredly, he lifted the paper in attempts to read it with his sleep blurred eyes, slightly smiling to himself as he pocketed the stone safely in his coat.   
  
_ ‘Since you were so against the idea of having a plantain under your pillow, perhaps a small bit of polished Howlite will do you one better. These stones are said to help sooth emotions and calm an overactive mind, and knowing you, you have a very,  _ very _ , overactive mind. Place it under your pillow and it should help you get a good night's rest.  _ __  
__  
_ If you’d like anymore stone information I’d be more than happy to stay up another night and talk to you about them, but you have to promise me you won’t act like such a child about them like you did the herbs. _ __  
__  
_ Love you _ __  
_  
_ __ -GG’

**Author's Note:**

> Please understand I am in no way a herb expert and did most of my research on the stuff in the span of like two days.  
> This au would be known as the "Prince (Stolas) Gary AU" in which Gary is the demon...Prince Stolas...theres not much to it, and you can look up and learn more about the specific demon, it was somethin' fun to write for. 
> 
> Enjoy! If you'd like to know more about the au you can hmu on the-waverider on tumblr.


End file.
